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Story Ideas for Media 10-31-11

Salvinia_molestaa.jpg

Salvinia molesta infesting a body of water. Photo source: Wikipedia.

salvinia_hairsa.jpg

Optical micrograph of eggbeater-shaped hairs on the leaf surface of the aquatic plant Salvinia molesta. The hairs reduce friction and help the plant stay afloat. Ohio State University engineers have replicated the surface in a plastic coating that could reduce drag and boost buoyancy on boats and submarines. Images courtesy of Ohio State University.

drop_on_carpet_composite.jpg

Left: A drop of water sits atop eggbeater-shaped hairs on a Salvinia molesta leaf. Right: The tips of the hairs stick to water with enough force to keep the droplet from rolling off when the leaf is turned to the vertical.

Salvinia_molestaa.jpg

Salvinia molesta infesting a body of water. Photo source: Wikipedia.

salvinia_hairsa.jpg

Optical micrograph of eggbeater-shaped hairs on the leaf surface of the aquatic plant Salvinia molesta. The hairs reduce friction and help the plant stay afloat. Ohio State University engineers have replicated the surface in a plastic coating that could reduce drag and boost buoyancy on boats and submarines. Images courtesy of Ohio State University.

drop_on_carpet_composite.jpg

Left: A drop of water sits atop eggbeater-shaped hairs on a Salvinia molesta leaf. Right: The tips of the hairs stick to water with enough force to keep the droplet from rolling off when the leaf is turned to the vertical.

News

Ohio State competes for title in football stadium and tailgate recycling – Nov. 5. Since 2007, Ohio State fans have been recycling and reducing the amount of trash generated at football games – diverting hundreds of tons of trash away from landfills.
This year, the university asked fans to take their recycling efforts to the next level, and participate in the new Zero Waste initiative. There are no trash cans in the stadium and fans are asked to either recycle or compost their waste. During the Michigan State game, fans helped remove 82 percent of trash from the waste stream – a new record. (In the first few games, the compost bins were mixed with recyclable items, but fans are learning which items go in which bins. Corey Hawkey, Ohio State’s sustainability coordinator, leads students each Monday following a home game as they sort through the composted items to remove non-compostable items from the mix.)
During the Indiana game, Ohio State will participate in the EPA Gameday Challenge, where universities compete to see which can recycle the most football stadium waste.
Fans attending the game will need to continue composting and recycling in order to win the title and beat 90 other participating schools, including Michigan, Indiana, Iowa, Toledo, Akron and Ohio University. Schools will be judged in several categories including least amount of waste generated per attendee, greatest greenhouse gas reductions, and highest recycling rate. CONTACT: Amy Murray, (614) 292-8385.

Research

Ohio State study: Preschoolers’ language skills improve more when they’re placed with more-skilled peers. Preschool children with relatively poor language skills improve more if they are placed in classrooms with high-achieving students, a new study found.
Researchers found that children with relatively poor language skills either didn’t improve over the course of one academic year, or actually lost ground in development of language skills, when they were placed with other low-achieving students.
The results have important implications because many preschool programs in the United States are targeted to children in poverty, who may exhibit lags in their development of language skills, said Laura Justice, lead author of the study and professor in the School of Teaching and Learning at Ohio State University.
“The way preschool works in the United States, we tend to cluster kids who have relatively low language skills in the same classrooms, and that is not good for their language development,” Justice said.
“We need to pay more attention to the composition of preschool classrooms.” CONTACT: Jeff Grabmeier, (614) 292-8457; Grabmeier.1@osu.edu. SEE:http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/preklang.htm

Events

Ohio State University Trustees to meet – Nov. 2-4. The Ohio State University Board of Trustees and its committees will meet Wednesday (11/2) through Friday (11/4) at the Longaberger Alumni House, 2200 Olentangy River Rd.
The schedule includes a meeting at 3 p.m. on Wednesday (11/2) of the Committee on Trusteeship.
On Thursday (11/3), trustees will tour the medical center at 9 a.m. There are meetings of the Audit and Compliance Committee from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; the Advancement Committee from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; the Medical Affairs and Physical Environment committees from 12:45 to 2:15 p.m.; and meetings of the Finance and Academic Affairs and Student Life committees from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Trustees will meet in executive session at 4 p.m. and meet for dinner at 7 p.m.
On Friday (11/4), the Agricultural Affairs Committee will meet from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. The board will meet in executive session at 8:30 a.m. and reconvene for the formal board meeting at 1 p.m. CONTACT: Shelly Hoffman, (614) 247-4748.